you’re certainly not alone. most men are embarrassed to discuss issues below the belt with their doctor, and some will even procrastinate getting checked until it’s too late. according to psychologists , most men worry about losing a part of their body often associated with “manhood and courage” and that fear usually gets in the way of prevention. since you brought up cancer, in its early stages, testicular cancer is often painless, but if caught early, it can save your life. that said, shrinkage can happen for a number of different reasons, and it’s not always the big “c.”
“it’s normal to have a size discrepancy between the left and the right testicle, they don’t necessarily have to be exactly the same size,” says dr. dean elterman, urologic surgeon at princess margaret cancer centre and assistant professor in the department of surgery at the university of toronto . “but there are some conditions that can cause shrinking of the testicles.”
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according to the canadian cancer society , testicular cancer is the most common cancer in men as the number of new cases continues to rise each year. men are most often diagnosed after the age 14, the odds peak around age 30 and decline thereafter. early puberty, family history, exposure to certain chemicals and hiv infection or aids are just some of the known risk factors for the disease. dr. elterman says that a firm, pea-size lump can be a telltale sign of unhealthy testicles, and a larger lump or multiple lumps are “a concern for testicular cancer and should be checked immediately with a doctor.”
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